Novak Djokovic: Beautiful Talent Called Desire

In the past I have written many times about Novak Djokovic.

Following someone's career so closely for some years now is an unusual but very rewarding hobby.


It all started roughly in 2007: my first sight of Nole was him waiting to return the serve: the focused, yet untroubled, breezy face, bright, in fact, VERY bright eyes burning under the expression of subconscious nonchalance trying to probably clear the mind of any thoughts that might take the eye off the ball.

And that was it for me!

I saw the talent, the hunger, the enormous, very unusual desire in his game, which showed itself best in the way he played his game: unstoppably, unharnessably, burning through that hot air of a tennis court: sometimes so big, sometimes so small, sometimes so alone sometimes so full of crowd .

I decided to jump on that roller-coaster of passion and to the people who know me often madness, having the same belief and hunger for Nole's success. Weird, but that's how it was.

While the world was continuing to war, markets crash and recover, leaders rise and fall, I was blissfully ignorant (by choice, of course), virtually traveling lands and continents, summers and timezones, suffering jetlag, enduring years of batches of lack of sleep (think Australian and US Open to mention a few !), there has even been an angry, stressful boil on my face once after the final at Queens 2009!

There was the phase one: the glimpse of promise in 2007 and the tasting of that sweet fruit of success in 2008.

Then there was phase two: you've tasted of the best, a bit of an excess, saw it for what it was and became a bit disillusioned: there were tears, there were screams, there were roars.
Still, Nole ground and ground, for isn't it what we all have to do?

Finally, phase three: realization of the limited time one has and the urgency to do something about it.

Nole rose to the task beautifully: he threw EVERYTHING in the hat: the beautiful, glorious talent can now finally shine in its fullness, nothing is hindering it: he has developed physically now, his fitness is finally as it should have been all those years ago but was hindered partly because of gluten intolerance, partly youth and need to fill out a bit muscle wise, partly because of experience which inevitably comes with maturity to those that re willing to learn, and not partly but MAINLY:

due to that Beautiful Talent called Desire!


GO NOLE, FLY US TO THE MOON, WE WANT TO TOUCH HIS SMILEY FACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Very nice write up NITB, as a diehard djokovic fan we have gone through the ups and downs of his career. I really started to like Djokovic back in 2007 when he reached the semis of wimby with nearly every single match being a nail biting and gut wrenching affair, he finally succumbed to exhaustion and Rafa Nadal in that semi.

I always knew he had the talent and ability to be world #1 and a multiple grandslam winner. If he never gets to the pinnacle of #1, I will still be happy for the great career and legend that he has carved out for himself in the heart's of tennis fans. His personality is very engaging although it might not suit many fans. He is demonstrative, a bit cocky, and has a great sense of humor. Can't wait for all the thrills and the joy of watching him battle Nadal, Murray, and Del Po over the next few years for tennis supremacy. He got a lot of flack for being the third wheel in the Fedal era, but he has finally carved out his own legacy and his own destiny. I hope he has good health, because with his work ethic and his sponge like ability to learn he should only get better and better.

Very interesting summary NITB.

I have been watching Djokovic over the years and it is interesting how his career is now going in the direction that his talent dictates. I did expect him to soar after his AO 2008 win and it didn't happen. I know he changed rackets and he also had a bad 2009 and early 2010 and the way he has turned it around has been amazing.

I live in the hope that Murray can do the same

noleisthebest wrote:

Following someone's career so closely for some years now is an unusual but very rewarding hobby.

I know where you're coming from nitb......I've done this myself (for 13 years)......it becomes a big part of your life....and as you say it's rewarding but it can at times be exhausting and emotionally draining too.....I don't think I could do it again.

That's a very nice article you've written : )

Solerina

Thanks "all"

I know all about the exahustion and being drained, oh dear all those losses to Rafa: Hamburg, Queens, Olympics, Madrid....how DID I survive

Hey Solerina,
who was the lucky player you supported for 13 years?

noleisthebest wrote:Hey Solerina,
who was the lucky player you supported for 13 years?

It wasn't a tennis player nitb, it was the jump jockey Tony McCoy. I very nearly had a heart attack watching him winning the Grand National last year. After thirteen years of watching him trying and failing, it meant so much to me.

It was one of the very best moments of my life and that is no exaggeration........I'm reliving it right now in my head lol

Solerina

I understand comletely.....
BTW, "who" were you on 606 (assuming you were on 606)?

noleisthebest wrote:I understand comletely.....
BTW, "who" were you on 606 (assuming you were on 606)?

I was Suejoe on 606.....I didn't post very much tho'

NITB did you see Djokovic today?

Just terrifying!! Didn't lose a point on his second serve and in the first set only lost 1 point on serve.

Watch out Rafa!!

Legend,

I say I DID! He was awesome, what serving!!!!

I must say this clay in Madrid plays like hard courts with not so much of a deal regarding moving on it.
Real fun starts tomorrow and I do hope Nole reaches the final, I expect another classic with a more favourable outcome this time

BTW, has anybody noticed the size of Nole's forearms, he really is the Iron man at the moment, I know I'm getting ahead of myself here, but I can't find to see those arms lift the trophy on Sunday

I have always felt he has had a very solid physique. He looks so much bigger in comarison to Nadal and Murray for example who despite their fitness look slender compare to Djokovic.

You are spot on with the clay playing so fast like a hard court. Garcia-Lopez just looked so out of his depth. Don't know about you NITB but I think Djokovic has the best backhand in the game at the moment. Get's so much spin on it too.

I know, it's sharp as a rasor, just love watching him use it like a laser around the court, he's so strong off both wings now, and the serve has been so good now, I wouldn't want to play him
I have waited so long to see him play like this, in the past it was always bouts of good form and then problems, now it's all come together, I am really enjoying it to the max.

I cant get over the improvements in Djokovic's game. The serve is the obvious area he has improved but I also think his forehand has become far more reliable, he has an amazing ability to generate huge topspin and hit the ball very flat when he needs to. His ability to find incredible angles too is amazing too, rather like Nalbandian used to. Really hope he wins the French Open !!

Yes, slasher he reworked his forehand about two years ago and for awhile he lost a little on the shot. But it seems that he his now hitting with much heavier spin that allows him to get really good angles. When he first broke on the tour he used to hit a lot flatter now he can hit with heavy spin and flatten it out when he needs to. The serve is really clicking right now, he also tried tweeking the serve motion and it didn't work for him like the changes he made to the forehand. So he went back to the old more reliable serve and it has done wonders for him. When he won the AO in 2008 he was broken only one time before the final against Tsonga, he had effective serve and tried to change it in order to become a classical big server who hits a lot of aces but that didn't work and he went back to his old motion that had served him so well. The fact that Novak kept trying to add things and make changes to get better has been the big issue, even when he became #3 in the world and a grand slam champion he never remained satisfied.

I take it nitb is no longer posting here.

He said he was going over to ja606 (which is full of wums!!) but it looks like they are struggling to stay on the "air waves"

Pity because he was a sensible poster and would have fitted in well on this forum.

Nitb, will be back I think, I checked out a couple of the other sites and this one so far has been doing a good job, the moderators kind of ticked nitb off a little bit.

Come back NITB

Love her enthusiasm, no matter how OTT it can be. She is still a tennis fan at heart.

So nitb is not a male then?

Always thought he was